Directed by James Ivory • 1987 • United Kingdom
Starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves

James Ivory’s sumptuously romantic adaptation of E. M. Forster’s posthumously published novel “Maurice” is a heart-racing story of coming to terms with one’s sexuality and identity in the face of disapproval and misunderstanding. Amid the rigid conformity of pre–World War I English society, Maurice Hall (James Wilby) and Clive Durham (Hugh Grant) find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. At a time when homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment, the two must keep their feelings for one another a complete secret. After Clive abandons his forbidden love and marries a woman, Maurice is left alone to struggle with his identity and self-confidence—until a chance encounter brings about a profound change in his life and outlook.